Tracing back to the origins of plant taxonomy and reproductive biology, one finds that human-centered and binary-gendered language has long dominated the field. Nowhere is this more evident than in the terminology used to describe flowers: male and female plants, male and female flowers, and male and female parts of flowers. Such language subconsciously aligns plant sex with human notions of sex and gender, leading people to interpret plant reproduction through a heterosexual framework. Yet in reality, plant reproduction does not conform to such binaries. In the most common flowering plants, the angiosperms, the vast majority—over 85%—are “bisexual” or hermaphroditic, with “perfect” flowers containing both so-called male and female reproductive organs. Unlike humans, many angiosperms can also self-fertilize, a biological capacity that further resists the simplistic analogies often drawn between plant and human sex.

If one were to apply human notions of sexual formation to plants, what would a flower look like? In Binary Flowers, the artist dissects common flowers, isolating and preserving only their single-sex characteristics. Through this act of reconstructing “binary flowers,” the work creates a visual contrast between artificial binary and natural multiplicity. It invites viewers to reconsider the nonhuman, nonbinary, and queer dimensions of plant reproduction, challenging the anthropocentric and gendered frameworks through which humans have long perceived nature.

This project is currently in progress. The artist is researching which types of flowers/plants can most effectively embody this concept and is conducting ongoing visual experiments. She is also studying the mechanisms of plant sexual reproduction to explore alternative, more tangible, and more accessible ways to help audiences grasp the idea.